


Bless My Soul

by Softchelles



Series: The Hercules AU [1]
Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: F/M, That nobody would write, hercules au, thanks yall
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 12:42:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18261524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Softchelles/pseuds/Softchelles
Summary: A lot had happened over the course of a few days.Like. A lot.But nothing could have prepared him for meeting a girl like that.ORThe Hercules AU





	Bless My Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Here's the AU that none of you cowards would write.
> 
> Also, I apologize, because I'm in a really bad self loathing stage where I aggressively despise my entire existence, so if I re-read this I'll probably cringe so hard I won't post it. That's why I tried to edit as I went, but if there's errors, oh well.
> 
> Also, I tried to reshape Hercules and Meg's relationship, just a bit, to better fit Peter and Michelle's. But I couldn't NOT acknowledge the blatantly obvious parallels between Hercules and Peter, Meg and MJ, and Hercules and Meg with Spideychelle. So here we are.
> 
> As far as content, a little bit of violence but like super watered down, cartoony violence. After all, Hercules (1997) is an animated classic. There's the Meg line about trashy guys who can't take no for an answer, but other than that it's pretty G rated.
> 
> So sorry for the mistakes.  
> Sorry for the cringe.  
> @softchelles over on twitter if you need me.  
> Here we go.

A lot had happened over the course of a few days.

 

For starters he learned his aunt and uncle weren’t _actually_ his aunt and uncle. Sure, he figured out he was adopted at a young age. But he never knew the full story, never could have _possibly guessed_ that it was because they stumbled across an abandoned baby at the edge of Mount Olympus.

 

Because oh yeah-- _that_ was a thing. The crying baby they stumbled across was wrapped in a gold medallion, the symbol of the gods crested clear as day across the front. So when Peter followed the symbol to the temple, looking for answers, he was completely unprepared to discover that he was actually a _god_. Gods of iron, of lightning, avengers for all of humanity-- and Peter was supposed to be one of them.

 

Key word being _was_.

 

There were some… complications.

 

 _Apparently,_ Peter had been taken from Olympus as a baby, turned into a mortal, and now, if he wanted to go home, he had to earn his way back.

 

So that’s how he ended up on the road to Thebes. But he wasn’t alone. He had Ned-- his right hand man and the brains behind this entire ‘prove Peter is a true hero to get his god status restored’ operation-- was there. He had Karen, the pegasus, who was slowly working her way up and giving Ned a run for his money for the title of best friend.

 

It should have been a light and easy trip.

 

Until it was interrupted by screams.

 

“Dude!!!” Ned gasped, his entire face lighting up with glee, which is the exact _opposite_ reaction one usually has when they hear someone screaming bloody murder. “This is it! The classic D.I.D!”

 

“The what?” Peter yelped back, confused by the abbreviation Ned used with such confidence, as if it was a term used every day.

 

“Damsel in distress! This is how you do it! How you become a hero!”

 

Peter looked to the ground, to the trouble brewing beneath them, and realized Ned was right. “Karen! Get closer! Let’s go check it out.”

 

The wind whipped at his face as they dove, down, down, down, before landing in a small clearing at the edge of a lake. Up close he could see a centaur, large and looming over a woman who was trying to run away. She must be the damsel.

 

“Not so fast, sweetheart,” he laughed, scooping her up into his grasp.

 

“I swear, Nessus, put me down!” she yelped, punching at his chest, eliciting another laugh in response.

 

She was clearly in distress.

 

“Ooh,” the monster taunted. “I like ‘em fiery….”

 

Oh yeah.

  
Peter’s totally got this.

 

That’s what he thought, at least, running towards the brawl with a determined pep in his step. “HEY!” he boomed, his voice as loud and as bold as he could manage.

 

The centaur and the woman stopped their brawl to take in the newcomer on the scene.

 

“Keep moving, two legs,” the monster snapped. The woman let out a hiss as his grip around her waist tightened. “This doesn’t concern you.”

 

“No can do,” Peter quipped back, placing his hands at his hips. “I’m gonna have to ask you to release that young and beautiful--”

 

“Get out of here, loser,” the woman interrupted.

 

Peter blinked, the speech he was planning on using getting caught in his throat. “...what?”

 

“I _said--_ ” She struggled a bit, pushing herself higher so that she could see him better. “Beat it, nerd.”

 

“But you… aren’t you a--a  damsel? In distress?” Peter had, undeniably, not gone through a _lot_ of hero training. Ned had tried his best, but didn’t have much experience in the whole hero business either. But Peter was _pretty sure_ this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

 

“I’m a damsel. I’m in distress. I can handle this,” she insisted, her scowl melting into a smirk. “Have a nice day.”

 

Peter glanced back to the treeline, to Karen, to Ned-- who stood there shrugging his shoulders. He must not know what to do either.

 

“Uh… well, I--” He turned back, clearing his throat once in an attempt to regain his composure. “Ma’am. I’m afraid you may be too close to the situation to really--”

 

Again, Peter’s speech was cut short. This time by the centaur reaching out and throwing him halfway across the lake.

 

He emerged with a cough, not expecting to fall face first into the pool of water. He was definitely not prepared for the instant headache that came with it-- had he hit his head on a rock on his way down?

 

“Come on, Peter!” Ned yelled from the sidelines. “You’ve got this! Come on!”

 

 _You’ve got this. You’ve got this_. The words echoed like a mantra as Peter pushed himself back onto his feet. He took a deep breath and charged.

 

It worked. The monster flew back, falling with a splash so loud that it wouldn’t surprise Peter to learn they heard it all the way in Athens.

 

Unfortunately, this also meant the woman fell into the water.

 

So his unplanned backup plan may not have been foolproof.

 

“Oh, gods. I’m… so sorry,” he apologized quickly, bending down to scoop her up out of the water. “That was really dumb.”

 

“Yeah…” she sputtered, coughing up water as he carried her towards the edge of the lake. “You think?”

 

The monster re-emerged, letting out a loud roar that sent chills down Peter’s spine. He could feel every hair on his arm stand upright, at attention. “Uh… excuse me for just a second...”

 

༄

 

Michelle watched the knight-in-shining-armor-minus-the-shining-armor trudge through the water towards Nessus, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. Clearly this guy did not know the meaning of ‘butt out’.

 

But as the fight progressed, she couldn’t help but laugh. It was cute, almost, in an endearing sort of way. She watched him throw some punches, earning a few brutal slaps back and well, she _tried_ to warn him.

“WOOOOOO!!!!!” the man to her right cheered, cupping his hands around his mouth to project his voice across the lake. “YES Pete! Get him! Right there! Yes! Punch and then-- Yes!”

 

Michelle’s eyes flickered between the guy and his equestrian companion before flying back to the fight. “Is this guy for real?”

 

“Oh, definitely,” the guy on the sidelines insisted. “Peter’s the real deal. He’s gonna be a hero, and get back to Olympus. It’s where he belongs.”

 

...that made no sense.

But. Whatever.

 

In all honesty, Michelle was _tired_ . It had already been a long day… a tough few weeks… and dealing with this Nessus asshole was the _last_ thing she needed right now.

 

Could she have handled herself? Yes.

 

But was she grateful that someone else stepped in to take care of the problem? So that she could sit back and be lazy for once? Sure. Why not?

 

But Michelle didn’t have to tell this new guy that.

 

She watched wonderboy’s fist make contact with Nessus’s jaw one last time-- the final blow before he fell back into the water and didn’t get back up. His friend cheered once more as he ran back towards them, _beaming_.

 

“Dude!!!!” the friend grinned.

 

“I know! I know. Did you _see_ the size of that guy?”  
  
“And when he pushed you in the water and you got back up like it was no big deal?”

 

“That was _crazy_ , man.”

 

Michelle cleared her throat, awkwardly not wanting to interrupt their moment but also needing them to know she was watching this cringe fest go down. She watched as the guy-- (Peter? Was what his friend called him?) looked back at her with wide, shocked eyes. Maybe he had forgotten she was still there.

 

Eh.

 

She was easily forgettable.

 

“Hey, but really--” Peter jogged towards her. “Are you alright? Miss…?”

 

“Michelle,” she answered. “My friends call me MJ. Or. They would. If I had any friends.”

 

“Michelle,” he repeated with a nod. “ _MJ_.”

 

The way her name left his lips stirred something within her chest. It sounded sweet, like honey. It  had been a long time since her name sounded that pretty.

 

Gross.

 

“I’m Peter.”

 

“Yeah. I got that from your friend.”

 

༄

 

“Oh, yeah,” Peter laughed awkwardly, looking back towards Ned and Karen. “That’s Ned. He’s my best friend. He’s cool.”

 

His eyes turned back to Michelle and-- _woah_.

 

She wasn’t doing anything spectacular. Just wringing out the water from her curls, staring back at him through her lashes. But her skin was glowing, glimmering in the golden light. Her very essence warm and bright and blinding like the sun that set around them. If he stared for too long, he was sure to get burnt. But Peter was certain, he couldn’t bring himself to mind.

 

“So… uh…” He cleared his throat again, trying to form words and move past his blaringly obvious pause in their conversation. “How’d you get caught up with a guy like that?”

 

“Oh, Nessus?” MJ laughed, shaking her head. “You know how men are…. They think no means yes, get lost means take me, I’m yours…”

 

“I’m sorry for… intruding… I was just trying to help. I wasn’t trying to like-- I mean, I did kind of say… but I’m sure you can handle… you-- you _look_ like you could handle--”

 

“Are you always so articulate?” she cut him off, but there was no harshness in her tone. Simply amusement, as if the joy she got from watching him stumble helplessly over his words was enough to forgive him for his intervening.

 

“I try to be.”

 

“Hmm.” She started to walk backwards. “Well, as fun as this was, I’m a busy girl. Places to go. People to see. It’s been real.”

 

“Oh, yeah. Of course. We should probably get going, too.”

 

“Right... “ She flashed him another smirk. It made his insides do a cartwheel. “Well, good luck with that whole hero thing.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

He watched her disappear behind the treeline, leaving a lingering ache in his chest with each step she took.

 

Yeah.

 

A lot had happened.

 

But nothing could have prepared him for meeting a girl like that.


End file.
